2018 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad

2018 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad

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The Norwegian Nobel Committee (NNC) recognized Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad and their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict, and awarded them the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 5 in Oslo, Norway.

“Each of them in their own way has helped to give greater visibility to wartime sexual violence, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions,” the committee stated.

Mukwege worked as a physician and has helped victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aside from assisting thousands of patients, Mukwege has criticised the insufficient attempts of the Congolese government and other governments to deter the use of sexual violence against women as a factor of war. Murad has spoken out as a victim of sexual violence, despite social norms which mandate that women remain silent about their experiences. The NNC lauded the works of Murad and Mukwege and recognized the courage of putting their own personal security at risk to combat sexual violence in war.